Sean Payton wants no part of them this summer.

The Broncos head coach on Thursday said his team will not practice against any of its three preseason opponents in August.

Instead, the Broncos will travel to Atlanta and host Green Bay and Minnesota without seeing any additional work against those teams.

Payton said the decision to skip what¶¶Ņõap become a training camp staple around the NFL in recent years stems from Denverā€™s long postseason run in January.

The Broncos were the last team to start their voluntary offseason program by two weeks when they began lifting and running May 4. They cut out a week of OTAs, too.

All of that, Payton said, means Denver needs a relatively uninterrupted training camp.

ā€œWhen you do have a joint practice, you miss maybe two days of installation,ā€ he explained. ā€œSo this year we know we have the preseason games, but weā€™re not going to have a joint practice.ā€

Payton is among the coaches who still plays his starters in preseason games. Many around the league now prefer to let their top guys get work in the more controlled joint practice environment, then play only backups in preseason games.

Payton, though, said he doesnā€™t pay attention to other teamsā€™ workloads or care when, for example, Green Bay played all of its starters during joint practice work but then held out its top players for a preseason game in Denver two summers ago.

ā€œWhen we have a joint practice, we pay attention to the reps that we get and the reps they get in the game the next couple days,ā€ he said. ā€œWeā€™ll do the same if weā€™re not. Obviously we havenā€™t had a joint practice every preseason week. So weā€™ll manage their snap counts.ā€

Doesnā€™t he think that joint practices are good for evaluating players?

ā€œSo are the games,ā€ Payton said. ā€œWe play them in the games.ā€

Jonah Elliss is (mostly) an outside linebacker after all

The Jonah Elliss inside linebacker experiment did not go very far.

Or, at least, it hasnā€™t so far.

Elliss spent Thursdayā€™s practice working with the Broncos outside linebackers and Payton indicated that¶¶Ņõap mostly where heā€™ll stay.

ā€œThat¶¶Ņõap where his home will be initially,ā€ Payton said. ā€œThere may be some packages where heā€™s inside and we have some flex. But heā€™s doing too well outside.ā€

Payton earlier this year said Elliss would get time playing inside and teammates including Nik Bonitto and Alex Singleton talked about believing Elliss could make the transition smoothly.

Instead, heā€™ll mostly be an outside linebacker along with Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Dondrea Tillman, Que Robinson, Drew Sanders and others.

Broncos will attempt to ‘Go the Distance’

Safety Talanoa Hufanga stepped to the podium Thursday to speak with reporters after practice. He did so wearing a cutoff navy t-shirt that ā€œG.T.D.ā€ in white block lettering.

What does that mean?

ā€œIt¶¶Ņõap our strength staff, they come up with a slogan during the offseason,ā€ Hufanga said. ā€œThis year it¶¶Ņõap ā€˜Go the Distance.ā€™ Just being able to finish. We didnā€™t go the distance last year, so weā€™ve got to make sure we get that this time.”

Hufanga took his share of responsibility for Denver coming up short last year, saying he needed to do better taking the football away. The safety played high-level football in his first year for the Broncos, but he dropped several potential interceptions, too.

ā€œI got back on the JUGS (machine),ā€ Hufanga said. ā€œThe reason I couldnā€™t get on the JUGS last year — and this is an excuse, Iā€™ll be honest ā€” was I was coming off my wrist surgery. A lot of it was just coming off of wearing a club during the game. That was really uncomfortable and really hard to learn again. My hand-eye coordination was really not great. But that is an excuse. I own up to it and I have to be better.ā€

Hufanga said he had plenty of chances that were anything but difficult.

ā€œI donā€™t know I dropped all of them because some of them were gimmes,ā€ he said. ā€œIā€™m being real with you, man, they dropped right in my lap and I didnā€™t come out with them.ā€

“Everything we’re doing is hard to accomplish,” Payton said in June of last year, “when that group is not what it needs to be.”

It has been, in Denver. Under offensive-line shepherd Zach Strief, the Broncos have spent handsomely to build one of the most stable fronts in the NFL. The franchise has committed over $341 million in total contract value for starters Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz and Mike McGlinchey since 2023. And the front office has had its faith rewarded for choosing to preserve that group, rather than splinter it for cheaper options.

That investment has suddenly never been more important heading into 2026.

On Monday, the NFL world erupted as the Los Angeles Rams tossed in Pro Bowler Jared Verse and several draft picks for Cleveland Browns titan Myles Garrett. If this were any previous season in Payton’s tenure, this would’ve meant little to Denver. But the league’s rotating schedule ensures the Broncos will face the Rams in Week 3, and now have to mark up a protection plan for the man who .

The Garrett trade, now, only adds another layer to a brutal early-season stretch for Denver ā€” and specifically for the Broncos’ offensive front. Strief, in truth, might not be able to take an actual breath until late October. Consider this run of pass-rushers:

• Week 2 vs. Jacksonville and OLB Josh Hines-Allen, who tied with Nik Bonitto for the fourth-most quarterback pressures in the NFL in 2025 (80)
• Week 3 vs. the Rams and Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year
• Week 4: at San Francisco and former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, healthy again after missing all but three games in 2025
• Week 5 at Chargers, who recorded the two highest pressure rates on Bo Nix of any game on Denver’s regular-season schedule last year
• Week 6: vs. reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle, who recorded the fourth-highest pressure rate of any team in 2025

Such a gauntlet of a schedule is ultimately a major reason Denver has so much money tied up in its offensive front. In fact, the Broncos have the third-highest percentage of 2026 cap room tied up in their top seven offensive linemen, according to Spotrac cap-space data assembled by The Post.

This has been Denver’s philosophy since Payton arrived in 2023, as the Broncos’ rebuild began with the signing of McGlinchey and Powers to big-money free-agent deals.

“When Strief first came here and we brought in Mike, brought in Ben, the very foundation of our offensive line is being able to be ready for the biggest moment on the biggest stage,” Meinerz said in late January before the AFC Championship game against New England. “And so, as weā€™re continuing to play in these bigger and bigger games ā€” our entire philosophy since they got here, for years at this point ā€” that¶¶Ņõap how we treat every single two-minute we work on in training camp. That¶¶Ņõap how we work every single third-down period is, we want to be perfect.”

They were not, in that season-ending 10-7 loss to the Patriots. New England shook free to shake up backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham one too many times, and Patriots defensive lineman Christian Barmore made clear postgame that .

“First-team All-Pro,” Barmore said, after Meinerz was tagged by Pro Football Focus with surrendering five pressures in New England’s win. “Our coach tells us all the time that All-Pro don’t mean (expletive), excuse my language. Doesn’t matter. Our coaches tell us every time, ‘They All-Pros, they the targets.’ So that’s the mission. He’s a hell of a player, but this is for us.”

On the whole, though, Denver’s offensive front largely met the moment in pass protection in 2025. According to a film review by The Denver Post, Broncos offensive linemen were only directly responsible for 14 sacks surrendered to players they were blocking in the 17-game regular season. And the Broncos held five of seven winning defenses they faced last year under their overall quarterback pressure rate in the regular season, according to data collected from Next Gen Stats.

They’ll need more in 2026, and their collection of opponents helps explain the Broncos’ offseason approach to their offensive line. As the calendar has now flipped past June 1, Denver could save itself over $30 million in cap space by cutting or trading McGlinchey and Powers. But the organization has long avoided cutting productive players solely to take money off the books, and would likely only consider moving Powers if reserve Alex Palczewski or fourth-round rookie Kage Casey clearly outplays him at left guard come training camp.

The gang is all back, then, for a third straight year with the exact same starting offensive line. And the Broncos will need all five pieces to topple a Thanos-level threat in Garrett.

Von Miller is a Denver icon, a Mile High legend, the engine of the defense, the life of the party, the Mick Jagger of ¶¶Ņõapountry.

One problem: The Broncos already have a lead singer.

They’re looking for bass players, keyboardists, percussionists and backup dancers. It’s the Sean & Bo Show now,

“I would love to assist and be a vice president to Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton,” Miller told The Post’s Parker Gabriel a few days earlier at a Von’s Vision function in Commerce City. “Iā€™ve been the guy and also Iā€™ve been the vice president as well.

“Iā€™d love to contribute to us getting back to the glory land, holding up that trophy and confetti falling again. For me, my whole entire life, Iā€™ve helped guys be the best version of themselves and Iā€™d love to do that back here with the Denver Broncos back home.ā€

Having No. 58 in the fold would be a hit for fans who’ve still got Miller jerseys hanging in their closets and a boon for media looking for a sound bite from one of the best to ever play in orange and blue.

And Von — who racked up nine sacks as a situational pass-rusher in Washington last fall ā€” knows a good thing when he sees it, having faced the Broncos with the Bills and with the Commanders over the last three seasons.

Assuming Nix is healthy (crosses fingers), the Broncos are on the Super Bowl train, and Miller would love nothing more than to close out a Hall-of-Fame career with another ring in his favorite NFL town.

Von Miller playing for Sean Payton — D

Never say never, right? The kids up in the Grading The Week department would love to dust off their replica jerseys and party like it’s 2015 all over again.

“I think thereā€™s no question the type of environment I bring to a locker room,” Miller told Gabriel. “I think thereā€™s no question to the type of environment I bring to a team.ā€

Yet the bean-counters over the corner office keep reminding us of the same thing whenever the subject of No. 58 returning to the Broncos gets brought up:

Ain’t nowhere for The Vonster to play.

The law firm of (Nik) Bonitto & (Jonathon) Cooper are in their respective primes coming off the edge, combining for 22 sacks a season ago.

Behind them, Dondrea Tillman (four sacks in ’25) has been a revelation who hasn’t slowed down, while second-year rusher Que Robinson recorded a sack in the AFC Championship Game. Drew Sanders is looking for a home, and all Jonah Elliss does is make plays.

Whose snaps would you give to Miller, who’s still spry at age 37 but is creeping in the winter of his playing days?

ā€œObviously, I wouldnā€™t start. Obviously, I wouldnā€™t play special teams,ā€ Miller continued. ā€œBut I will say, the type of room that we would have, the outside linebackers with me, Nik Bonitto, weā€™d be a force. Whatever (the) coach (has) going on, I would just contribute to that. The defense that weā€™d have. Iā€™d love to bring back those Super Bowl 50 vibes.”

Yeah, but here’s the thing: This defense kind of already has those vibes — just with a different generation under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. The Broncos also need their second-and third-wave of linebackers to play on special teams, my friend.

Von was the face of the Broncos seven years ago, and a good one. But that face is Payton’s now. That voice is Payton’s now.

Miller will retire a Bronco. But Team GTW wagers it’ll be the same way Justin Simmons just retired as a Bronco — with a ceremony, a 1-day contract, a news conference, some tears and a hearty thanks for services rendered and memories we’ll never let go.

They have very few starting spots up for grabs, at least on paper.

They have, relatively speaking, very few question marks.

And yet, Sean Paytonā€™s fourth team will have plenty of competition throughout the early portions of the summer and into training camp.

There are, by The Post¶¶Ņõap count, somewhere in the neighborhood of seven to nine spots up for grabs on the 53-man roster at the moment and a pool of perhaps 18-20 players vying for them. Those counts come before any of the inevitable injuries that will crop up between now and the end of August.

This early projection comes before any potential substantial roster move, of which Denver has typically made at least one between OTAs and the start of the regular season. A year ago, for example, the Broncos signed running back J.K. Dobbins in June and then traded receiver Devaughn Vele in August.

It also comes before any big training camp surprise, a young player who makes a strong push or a veteran who suddenly appears out of gas.

Before Paytonā€™s team starts OTAs on Tuesday, hereā€™s an early attempt at a 53-man roster projection. The point of this exercise at this calendar waypoint is merely to mark a starting point and to attempt to determine where the most uncertainty — and opportunity ā€” lies on the Broncosā€™ current 91-man roster.

Finding 53 among this group requires tough decisions even before any actual football activity has started. There are players that were difficult to leave off the roster and some groups — offensive and defensive lines, in particular ā€” that are deep enough to impact other spots. Payton and general manager George Paton have shown time and time again they value quality players in the trenches.

There are a handful of veterans who could theoretically be considered cut candidates because of a combination of depth and salary, like tight end Evan Engram ($14.14 million cap hit) and left guard Ben Powers ($18.16 million). Denver could trade a veteran or quality player from a position of strength to help fortify elsewhere or accumulate future draft capital.

Among the players who look from this distance likely to exist somewhere around the bubble, however, none has a bigger cap number than offensive lineman Matt Peart¶¶Ņõap $2.39 million or more guaranteed money than quarterback Sam Ehlingerā€™s $1 million.

So, away we go. Players in the bubble conversation, both above and below the roster cut in this exercise, are in italics.

OFFENSE (25)

Quarterback (3)

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger

The question, really, with Denver’s quarterbacks is this: two or three? Denver started last year with two when Ehlinger agreed to start the season on the practice squad. If a similar scenario plays out — heā€™s got $1 million guaranteed ā€” then the Broncos could well take two. Denver values Ehlinger, though, and heā€™s going to get a bunch of work in OTAs and likely minicamp after Bo Nix had a second ankle procedure last month. This makes for tougher calls at other spots on a deep roster, but let¶¶Ņõap not mess around with the quarterback position when youā€™ve got players you like. If nothing else, using three as the starting point in this exercise ups the difficulty level the rest of the way.

Running back (4)

J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman and Adam Prentice (FB)Ā 

Also: Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Cody Schrader

Colemanā€™s selection in the fourth round changes the complexion here by quite a bit. Heā€™s a potential third-down back right away and the Broncos are high on him if heā€™s needed beyond that early on. With a cleaner-fitting trio of backs, McLaughlin and Badie both have a tough road to the roster. If Denver wanted four plus Prentice, McLaughlin probably heads into the summer with the lead.

Tight end (4)

Adam Trautman, Evan Engram, Justin Joly and Caleb LohnerĀ 

Also: Dallen Bentley, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull

One of the toughest projections. Lohner gets the nod for the moment after Payton raved about him earlier in May, especially because Payton was particularly impressed with Lohnerā€™s physicality and blocking. This, like many bubble decisions, could come down to who Denver thinks it can get to the practice squad between Lohner and Bentley, the No. 256 overall pick in April. With a bounce-back summer, Adkins could re-establish himself as a key role player. He could end up competing for a spot with Prentice, though, as much as it seems he could play some fullback; the Broncos just havenā€™t asked him to do it much so far in his career.

Wide receiver (5)

Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr.

Also: Michael Bandy, Lilā€™Jordan Humphrey, Michael Woods, Cam Ross, Kolbie Katsis, Joseph Manjack and Dane Key

Assuming no trades, it¶¶Ņõap hard to see how anybody besides the top five makes the initial 53-man roster. Waddle was the Broncosā€™ big offseason splash and, though he will impact playing time for the rest of the room, Denverā€™s brass has been consistent in saying theyā€™re not looking to move on from any of the regulars. Bandy and Humphrey are no strangers to starting the season on a practice squad and eventually seeing time on the 53-man roster. Itā€™ll be interesting to see if an undrafted rookie like Ross can make the Broncos think twice about going status quo, but that¶¶Ņõap a tall task.

Offensive line (9)

Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum, Kage Casey and Alex ForsythĀ 

Also: Matt Peart, Nick Gargiulo, Calvin Throckmorton, Tyler Miller, Gavin Ortega, Michael Dieter and Nash Jones

The Broncos have enviable depth on their offensive line, but, like with wide receiver, the roles are defined enough that it¶¶Ņõap difficult to imagine a ton of wiggle room. Palczewski and Crum are valued depth and development pieces and Casey, a fourth-round pick, joins them in a similar mold. Forsyth has been the clear No. 2 center for two seasons behind Wattenberg. That¶¶Ņõap nine. Peart and Throckmorton are veterans who have stepped in and played, while Gargiulo showed some promise before a bad preseason knee injury last summer. Miller and Ortega are interesting undrafted rookies but, outside a rash of injuries or major training camp push, it¶¶Ņõap reasonable to think theyā€™re ticketed for the practice squad.

DEFENSE (25)

Defensive line (7)

Zach Allen, DJ Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwauzurike, Tyler Onyedim, Saiā€™Vion Jones and Jordan Jackson

Also: Matt Henningsen, Jordan Miller and Kristian Williams

A key part of the rationale for going heavy here again: Each of the past two years the roster cutdown has passed and Payton and Paton have made it clear that Jackson made the 53-man roster easily. Weā€™ll bet for now that the same ends up happening this summer. They might decide they just have to have a player at another position. Maybe somebody else is a surprise cut, though among this group 2025 third-rounder Saiā€™Vion Jones is the only real candidate and that would be a major surprise given they traded up for him and also liked his development last season. So, Payton and Paton instead stick to their principles and go heavy up front once again.

Outside linebacker (4)

Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman

Also: Drew Sanders, Johnny Walker and Dasan McCullough

The first three are absolute locks and thereā€™s not much doubt about Tillman, either. The going gets tough from there. Health has been a major obstacle for Sanders, but if he plays all summer, heā€™ll probably be productive enough to make the roster. The numbers just get tight elsewhere in a hurry. Keeping four here is really 4.5 in a way because Jonah Elliss can play on the edge if needed, plus a deep defensive line group can help take some work off the edge guys against heavier teams. Sanders is a training camp wild card, though.

Inside linebacker (4)

Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, Jonah Elliss and Red MurdockĀ 

Also: Jordan Turner, Karene Reid, Levelle Bailey, Taurean York

Once again, this is about roster management and who makes it to the practice squad after the top three. Murdock was Mr. Irrelevant in the draft at No. 257, but forced 17 fumbles in his college career at Buffalo. Turnerā€™s got real promise, so it was not an easy call to leave him off. Reid was a special teams regular after making the initial roster as an undrafted rookie last year, but this is maybe a tougher roster to make despite the release of Dre Greenlaw earlier this spring.

Cornerback (5)

Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Jaā€™Quan McMillian, Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine

Also: Reese Taylor, Jaden Robinson, Brent Austin, Ahmari Harvey and Paul Manning

Pretty straightforward here. The major storyline is more about beyond 2026, as McMillian and Moss are both entering contract years. For now, though, this is one of the deepest and most talented cornerback groups in football. Taylor has been a regular on the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster from mid-November on last year. The only question is if new secondary coaches Rob Livingston and Doug Belk see any of the personnel differently than Jim Leonhard and Addison Lynch previously.

Safety (5)

Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, Miles Scott and JL Skinner

Also: Tycen Anderson and Parker Robertson

There will be competition across multiple position groups based on special teams output. You can put Skinner, Anderson, Scott, Taylor, Turner, Reid, Sanders and more all into that group. The Broncos gave Anderson $650,000 guaranteed in part to be a key special teams player, so he might well make it. But over who? That signing was before Denver drafted Scott. Skinner is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is at a critical point in his career. The way coaches have talked about Key this offseason, he feels like the early favorite to replace P.J. Locke as the No. 3 safety. Denver signed Sam Franklin and gave him $1.34 million in guarantees last year, then cut him in August.

SPECIALIST (3)

PK Wil Lutz, P Jeremy Crawshaw and LS Mitch Fraboni

Also: LS Luke Basso

Not much mystery here. The Broncos signed the rookie Basso as summer competition, but Fraboniā€™s been solid and is under contract through 2027.

It¶¶Ņõap made him a Super Bowl champion. It¶¶Ņõap made him generational wealth. It¶¶Ņõap made him a potential Pro Football Hall of Famer someday.

The 37-year-old is holding out hope these days that his latest pressure campaign lands him back where his career started: Playing for the Broncos.

That Miller wants to return to Denver is hardly a surprise. Heā€™s expressed a desire to do so over several recent offseasons.

Still, every time Miller returns to the Denver area, as he did this week to help more than 60 kids get free eye exams and a pair of glasses through his charity, Vonā€™s Vision, that pull back to the orange and blue feels a little bit stronger.

ā€œLast year I played 37% of the defensive snaps,ā€ said Miller, who had 9 sacks for the Washington Commanders after six the year before in Buffalo. ā€œThirty (percent) with the Denver Broncos and I feel like I can do the same exact thing I did with the Washington Commanders.ā€

Miller has talked with Denver general manager George Paton extensively over recent months and years about Millerā€™s desire to end up working in —Ā and running his own ā€”Ā front office after heā€™s done playing. Broncos head coach Sean Payton coached Millerā€™s flag football team this spring against the U.S. national team.

Miller said his offseason has been ā€œquietā€ so far in terms of interest from teams and a week ago a league source told The Post that the Broncos hadn’t expressed interest in signing Miller, but the veteran is working Paton and Payton hard.

ā€œI lobby. I do lobby,ā€ Miller said with a smile. ā€œI lobby publicly, I lobby privately. I do lobby. I think thereā€™s no question the type of environment I bring to a locker room and to a team. I donā€™t like to pat myself on the back, but at 37 years old I can still roll out of bed and rush the quarterback. Iā€™m still a great guy in the locker room, I bring great energy and Iā€™m going to make sure everybody is ready to go.ā€

Miller is particularly interested, he said, in working with Broncos star edge rusher Nik Bonitto and running mate Jonathon Cooper.

Bonitto is a big Miller fan and said earlier this month that, ā€œJust to kinda be able to share a room with him would be amazing.ā€

Miller feels the same way about Bonitto and said he canā€™t shake the feeling that it would be akin to when DeMarcus Ware arrived in Denver and helped Miller channel his talent into a Super Bowl 50 victory and a long and prosperous career.

ā€œI know (Bonitto) well,ā€ Miller said. ā€œObviously, weā€™re not roommates or nothing like that. But we have an open line of communication and we talk about everything. To be in the locker room and to be able to pay forward what DeMarcus did for me to Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper and the rest of the young guys, Iā€™d love to be able to do that in my twilight on the way out.ā€

Miller knows if the Broncos did re-sign him, there’d be massive hullabaloo. He insists that’s not what this is about. He thinks about “Von’s Vision Days” and locker room vibes and causing terror on third-and-long.

“Obviously, I wouldnā€™t start. Obviously, I wouldnā€™t play special teams,” Miller said. “But I will say, the type of room that we would have, the outside linebackers with me, Nik Bonitto, weā€™d be a force. Whatever coach we have going on, I would just contribute to that. The defense that weā€™d have. Iā€™d love to bring back those Super Bowl 50 vibes.

“I would love to assist and be a vice president to Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton. Iā€™ve been the guy and also Iā€™ve been the vice president as well. Iā€™d love to contribute to us getting back to the glory land, holding up that trophy and confetti falling again. For me, my whole entire life, Iā€™ve helped guys be the best version of themselves and Iā€™d love to do that back here with the Denver Broncos back home.”

When asked last week at a charity event if it felt good to have the brace off, Bonitto grinned and grunted in affirmation. Eight months earlier, a split-second expression of frustration completely altered his season. Bonitto slammed his hand against the ground after a last-second Week 2 loss to the Colts and hurt his wrist badly enough that he played the entire rest of the year in a club.

That did not stop the All-Pro outside linebacker from recording a career-best 14 sacks. Still, Bonitto’s entire year was filled with uncomfortable adaptation.

“I learned a lot of lessons, I feel like, last year, just as far as battling through injuries,” Bonitto said.

He learned greater ones, too. The wrist was simple enough to fix after he underwent clean-up surgery shortly after the season. But Bonitto’s ultimate ascension to the highest echelon of NFL defenders, he knows, will depend on much deeper adjustments to the way the league’s offenses are beginning to treat him.

“I mean, it really has nothing to do with the physical part of it,” he said.

Playing chess with opposing offenses

Since he was a lanky teenager growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Bonitto’s offseason development has hinged on bulking up. He is a speed-rusher, by trade. He needed to add power after the Broncos drafted him in the second round in 2022. By 2025, coming off his Pro Bowl breakout a year earlier, Bonitto was complaining ā€” but not really complaining ā€” to trainer Rich Pruett that his quads had grown too thick to fit into his pants.

Entering his fifth season in the NFL, Bonitto does not need to learn how to deadlift anymore. He needs to learn to play chess.

“Being able to see what it¶¶Ņõap like to actually have a protection plan around me,” Bonitto said, describing his adjustments in 2025. “And how to work through those things and continue to find ways to make plays, and also help other guys make plays while weā€™re at it ā€” while Iā€™m commanding those chips and double-teams, and stuff like that.”

Bonitto’s offseason in 2026, unlike previous years, has centered on watching tape to dissect how other star pass-rushers break down those protection plans. Browns Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, for one. Packers All-Pro Micah Parsons, for another. Ravens star Trey Hendrickson, too. He and pass-rush specialist Javon Gopie, who’s worked with Bonitto since he was at Oklahoma, have even delved back as far as the 1990s to watch Hall of Famer John Randle.

All have markedly different body types than Bonitto, who stands 6-foot-3 and hovers between 240 and 250 pounds. The key on tape, however, is the mentality and positioning of alpha-type pass-rushers against teams that design their blocking schemes specifically around stopping them.

While watching Bonitto’s own tape from 2025, Gopie told The Post that NFL offensive lines “100%” keyed in on Bonitto that year, a notable difference from his previous seasons.

“What is the saying, with Spider-Man?” Gopie said. “‘With great (power) comes great responsibility.’ And heā€™s at that stage, man, where ā€” you are the premier guy.ā€

2025, then, was a “challenging” year for Bonitto, as Gopie said, because of a “multitude” of concepts that changed in respect to how offenses blocked him. Sometimes, tight ends or running backs or even wide receivers threw him a chip-block before flaring out, as Gopie described. Sometimes guards would slide over to double-team him. Sometimes tackles would “jump-set” ā€” a technique where linemen fire off the snap and establish contact early to disrupt a rusher’s momentum.

The goal, as Gopie observed on film, was to simply wrestle Bonitto off his desired track.

“A lot of the times, if I can stop his momentum at the line, that may be effective,” Gopie said, placing himself in the mentality of a blocker against Bonitto. “Or again, if I can just use his speed to his advantage and just run him up the field, how does he counter to that?

“I mightā€™ve said this two years ago ā€” that was going to be his next evolution,” Gopie continued. “Because he was so great at bending the edge. How he learns to counter off that, and set things up, is really when things get to the next level.”

Finding a signature counter-move

Bonitto was drawing serious Defensive Player of the Year buzz through the first half of 2026, with eight sacks in his first six games. Thanks to a combination of varying protection schemes, nagging injuries and rush plans designed to cage quarterbacks, Bonitto leveled off to six sacks in his last 11 games. He was “frustrated” down the stretch after one stretch of sack-less games, Gopie said.

That manifested itself after a Week 16 loss to Jacksonville, with Bonitto .

“I played like ass,” he told reporters, after recording just two quarterback pressures against the Jaguars.

It was a wonderfully simple evaluation of a complex situation, and an encapsulation of the necessary next steps. Upon film review of 18 pass-rush snaps, Jacksonville frequently shaded running backs toward Bonitto to chip him and mixed in both guard and tight end help on multiple possessions. Bonitto’s primary matchup, meanwhile ā€” 312-pound tackle Cole Van Lanen ā€” repeatedly backpedaled to simply funnel his speed-rush outside and past Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Bonitto had no effective counters or Plan-B moves other than a simple power rush through Van Lanen’s numbers, which only worked on one snap late in the fourth quarter.

Last offseason, Gopie told The Post he thought 2025 would be the season when Bonitto developed a signature counter-move. That didn’t quite happen, even as Bonitto put a couple of impressive spin-cycles on tape.

That process, again, will become even more important to Bonitto’s growth in 2026.

“His next evolution will be how he sees the game,” Gopie said, “and how he continues to just set stuff up.”

And Denver, coming off a 14-3 regular season, will now have to stare down the concept of statistical regression to the mean against a true gauntlet of a 2026 schedule. The Broncos will play 10 games in 2026 against teams that made the playoffs last year, and that’s not even counting a Week 1 Monday Night Football opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in enemy territory.

ā€œYou always understand the next challenge,” Payton said at NFL league meetings. “We have a tough schedule. We donā€™t know when weā€™re playing these teams.”

They know now, as then NFL’s Thursday-night schedule release revealed both good news and significantly worse news on Denver’s 2026 outlook.Ā Let’s dive in.

The slate

Week 1, Sept. 14: at Kansas City Chiefs (Monday Night Football)

Week 2, Sept. 20: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 3, Sept. 27: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 4, Oct. 4: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 5, Oct. 11: at Los Angeles Chargers

Week 6, Oct. 15: vs. Seattle Seahawks (Thursday Night Football)

Week 7, Oct. 25: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 8, Nov. 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 9, Nov 8: at Carolina Panthers

Week 10: Bye

Week 11, Nov. 22: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Week 12, Nov. 27: at Pittsburgh Steelers (Black Friday)

Week 13, Dec. 6: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 14, Dec. 13: at New York Jets

Week 15, Dec. 20: at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 16, Dec. 25: vs. Buffalo Bills (Christmas Day)

Week 17, TBD: at New England Patriots

Week 18, TBD: at Los Angeles Chargers

Must-watch game: Sept. 27, vs. Los Angeles Rams

A lot of fantastic choices here, but this one could be a barnburner. Denver will head into Week 3 with a couple games to get their legs underneath them and for quarterback Bo Nix to get his ankle underneath him, and will face off here against arguably the most high-powered offense in the NFL. What can 31-year-old Broncos whiz-kid play-caller Davis Webb whip up against the NFL’s foremost whiz-kid in Rams head coach Sean McVay? There’s entire branches of offensive coaches spinning off from this coaching-tree matchup between Sean Payton and McVay, and this will be the first time the two head coaches square off since Payton took the reins in Denver in 2023.

Tune in at 6:20 p.m. on NBC for fireworks.

Tough-watch game: Dec. 13, at New York Jets

Yawn. This category was actually plenty hard, as there’s few gimmes on the Broncos’ schedule. The Raiders have Mendoza. The Cardinals have a new and potentially explosive offensive weapon in No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love.

The Jets have…um. Geno Smith?

The Denver-New York matchup is always somewhat interesting in the weeds, as former Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey heads into his second season as the Jets’ GM. New York had a pretty strong draft, anchored by No. 2 overall pick David Bailey, but the roster is still unsexy. And this matchup is a lot less interesting than it was in 2025, when these two teams met across the pond in London. This will be the fourth straight season these AFC teams have met — it’s probably time to wipe this off the slate.

Bring some popcorn: Sept. 20, vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Quietly, this whole matchup went down as one of the strangest matchups of the 2025 season. Let’s rewind. In game-week availability, Payton referred to the Jaguars — in a largely complimentary answer of their season — as “smaller-market.” Smartly, first-year Jaguars head coach Liam Coen weaponized that objectively true statement into a rallying cry for both his locker room and the city of Jacksonville at large. After snapping the Broncos’ 11-game win streak with a 34-20 victory last December, Coen fired off a shot postgame.

“A small-market team like us can can come into Mile High and get it done,” Coen said.

Multiple Denver players came away from that loss noting that they could see Jacksonville again in the playoffs. They didn’t. They will soon again, though, in Week 2. The Broncos’ locker room has often rallied around Payton’s messaging, and Denver’s head coach could weaponize the Jaguars’ 2025 response in turn a year later. This could get chippy.

Players’ revenge: Oct. 4 vs. San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 6 vs. Miami Dolphins

Publicly, there’s no hint of hard feelings from Denver toward inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who the organization cut after an injury-plagued season in 2025. Nor vice versa. But Greenlaw never found any kind of real rhythm last season, and admitted on a podcast appearance this offseason that he just “wasn’t happy” in Denver. He’s a ferocious competitor, and will likely bring some force to this inter-conference contest.

A couple months after that, the Broncos’ brightest offseason addition will get a chance to put his former franchise in the dirt at Empower Field. Star receiver Jaylen Waddle hasn’t taken any shots back at Miami, since the Dolphins traded him as part of a full-scale rebuild this offseason. But plenty in Waddle’s circle believe he was held back in two straight sub-1,000 yard seasons the last two years with quarterback and organizational instability. This could be a chance for him to tee off.

Toughest stretch: Literally the first six games of the year

The scheduling gods did Denver no favors here. The Broncos will kick off their season in primetime at Arrowhead Stadium, and that might be the easiest matchup they’ll get until late October. From there, they’ll play five straight teams that won at least 11 games last season. The worst of it all: two straight road games against the 49ers and the Chargers, rolling straight into a short-week Thursday Night Football matchup against the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Yikes.

That Week 6 game against the Seahawks will be delightfully ugly. The Broncos slogged through two TNF games last year, and took a »å±š“Ś±š²Ō²õ±š-·É¾±²Ō²õ-³¦³ó²¹³¾±č¾±“Ē²Ō²õ³ó¾±±č²õĢżmentality in both. Now Denver will host the league’s No. 1 defense after coming off back-to-back road games. Time for the defensive line to step up.

Lightest stretch: Weeks 13-15 (Dolphins, Jets, Raiders)

Thankfully for the Broncos, after that early-season run, they’ll slide into a nice breather in December and a potential opportunity to make up some conference ground. After a Black Friday trip to Pittsburgh to play against a Steelers team that may or may not feature a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they’ll take on the rebuilding Dolphins at home, travel to New York the next week and host Las Vegas Dec. 20.

Three teams with a combined 13 wins in 2025 — less than the Broncos themselves had last season. Denver has to hope to go 3-0 in this stretch, heading into a final-season run with Buffalo, New England and the regular-season finale against the Chargers.

Ask current edge star Nik Bonitto, though, and Miller-to-Denver is an internal dream, too.

“It would be pretty crazy, for sure,” Bonitto said Wednesday night, at a charity event in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Denver. “I mean, obviously everybody would love that. Not only the fans, but the players. He’s a guy that’s loved here in Denver, so much.”

Those words carry a slight bias on the behalf of Denver’s 26-year-old All-Pro. Bonitto has grown up in Florida idolizing Miller and studying his tape, and called the veteran his “personal favorite player ever to watch.”

But if there’s ever been any window for Miller to re-join the franchise that drafted him, it’s now. The eight-time Pro Bowler posted a cryptic Instagram story , set to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” And as a free agent this offseason, he’s been dropping a bread-crumb trail of public hints to Denver’s front office that he’d like to re-sign with the Broncos.

“I’m confident in that — I’ll be back in Denver, in some capacity,” Miller told The Post in late April.

He acknowledged in that conversation, though, that even if the time wasn’t right as a player, he’d like to return eventually in a front-office role. And the timing just might not be right, again, as these Broncos march into offseason activities. Denver has a surplus at outside linebacker, starting with Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, staples of the franchise who turned up at Park Meadows at Lone Tree on Wednesday night to assist kids from the Boys and Girls’ Clubs in a graduation shopping spree.

Further on the depth chart, too, the Broncos are shifting 2024 third-round pick Jonah Elliss to inside linebacker in part to open up snaps for 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson. It’s a bold bet on Elliss’s agility and upside, as he showed star-level flashes across his first two years in Denver in a reserve OLB role.

Bonitto, though, explained that Denver already played Elliss at ILB on several third-down packages last year, and lauded his ability to drop back in coverage.

“Obviously, he has a way to grow when it comes to learning the position,” Bonitto said of Elliss. “But I have no doubts about his talent, man. I mean, heā€™s one of the most talented guys on the team.”

Between Robinson and steady reserve Dondrea Tillman, then, there simply isn’t much room for the 37-year-old Miller in Denver.

Still, Bonitto can dream.

“Just to kinda be able to share a room with him,” Bonitto said Wednesday, “would be amazing.”

Or, at least for the Broncos, the 2026 offseason program kicks off Monday.

This is in many ways the start of the long march toward September and the start of the season, though players and coaches still have a five-week break to look forward to this summer.

Denver head coach Sean Payton decided to start this springā€™s program later than usual and later than everybody else in the NFL, citing a Broncos 2025 season that lasted until late January.

Payton is also a longtime believer that running and lifting are more important this time of year than getting on the field for football-related activities.

So, players start the voluntary part of the offseason program Monday, but outside of a rookie minicamp May 8-10, Denver will abstain from on-field work until the first week of June.

ā€œAll of May will just be weightlifting,ā€ Payton said earlier this year. ā€œYouā€™ll see us on the field in June. Weā€™ll have two weeks of OTAs and a week of mini camp, but I donā€™t want them to feel like they were just here.ā€

Payton has also said in the past that he doesnā€™t want his players feeling like theyā€™re going to football practice in the spring.

Still, Monday morning will feature the Broncosā€™ first 2026 team meeting, the first messaging about starting over and building toward a title run this fall. Itā€™ll feel like the start of something in the building.

With that in mind, here are four questions about the coming months in ¶¶Ņõapountry.

When will Broncos QB Bo Nix be back in action?

The likely answer now: Not for a while. Nix will likely still be aroundĀ for Phases 1 and 2 of the offseason program over the next several weeks, but heā€™ll be rehabbing from theĀ recent clean-up procedure on his surgically repaired right ankle rather than doing the full lifting and running regimen his teammates will be on.

OTAs and minicamp are still a month-plus away, but from here, sources expected Payton and Denverā€™s medical and training staffs to be cautious with Nix through those weeks. The start of training camp is still nearly three months away. Having Nix back to full go then is the new priority for the staff.

There is still no clear understanding of what the recent procedure entailed for Nix, but sources indicate the cleanup work was going to have to happen at some point ā€” if not now, then likely after the 2026 season. Nixā€™s rehab from the initial fracture repair in January went well enough that Dr. Norman Waldrop III, Nix and the Broncos decided they had a window to get it done now. It will cost Nix most of the early stages of the offseason program, but in return, he enters the year without the prospect of another procedure hanging out there somewhere on the horizon.

Could Denver add a veteran free agent of note?

It¶¶Ņõap always a possibility.

Denver signed RB J.K. Dobbins in June last year. In 2023, the club signed OLB Frank Clark around the same time.

For a time, the Broncos looked like they could perhaps use a veteran defensive lineman. Then they used their top draft pick, No. 66 overall, on Tyler Onyedim. Thereā€™s a long way to go to late August, but right now Denver looks like it could again easily take seven defensive linemen into the season: Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Onyedim, Saiā€™Vion Jones and Jordan Jackson.

If thereā€™s a spot to add a Dobbins-esque veteran, what about outside linebacker and what about Cam Jordan? The 37-year-old has a decade of history with Sean Payton, heā€™s still playing well even after 15 years in the NFL and, while the Broncos are by no means short at outside linebacker, they donā€™t have huge numbers there after sliding Jonah Elliss inside. Now, Denverā€™s top line is among the best in the business with Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. The club is high on Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman provides quality depth. Denver could always kick Elliss back outside if it needed. But Jordan had 10.5 sacks a year ago and, critically, is hardly a situational pass-rusher. Heā€™s still a force against the run and could be used creatively both on third down and early downs. The Broncos have one of his biggest fans in Payton and also a New Orleans native in Vance Joseph as their defensive coordinator.

Are there any big contract extensions on the table?

Not like last year, where the Broncos had a laundry list of mega deals to do with cornerstone players like Courtland Sutton, Allen and Nik Bonitto.

The biggest decision to make is in the secondary, where nickel Jaā€™Quan McMillian and corner Riley Moss are each entering contract years and 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron is waiting in the wings.

Other starters and key players entering the final years of their contracts include safety Brandon Jones, left guard Ben Powers, receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and tight end Evan Engram.

Overall, thereā€™s far less certainty about who from that group will end up in Denver long term than there was a year ago, when it seemed all but certain that the big three would get deals done eventually.

Denver typically has done offseason extensions closer to training camp (Quinn Meinerz in 2024) or during (all three last year and Pat Surtain II in 2024) rather than in the spring.

What else is on the spring cleaning list at Broncos Park?

A handful of other projects. Now that the NFL draft is in the rearview mirror, an extension for general manager George Paton moves closer to the batterā€™s box. CEO and owner Greg Penner has made it clear Patonā€™s wanted long-term and has essentially said a deal is a matter of when, not if. Most front office movement of all kinds comes after the draft and into the summer. On a related note, Patonā€™s front office is highly regarded and has been raided repeatedly over the past two offseasons, so more movement on that front cannot be ruled out.

Denver also has a major move ahead in June, when the club relocates from its current headquarters to its new building across the practice fields, which is nearing completion.

Just maybe not as an outside linebacker.

“If I donā€™t go back to Denver and play as a football player,” Miller told The Denver Post on Monday, “I would like to go back to Denver and be in the front office, or whatever, in some capacity.”

In 2011, a 22-year-old Miller sat down in Indianapolis for a combine meeting with then-Broncos general manager John Elway, and felt something. After winning a Super Bowl ring and making eight Pro Bowl appearances in more than a decade in the NFL, he figured out what it was. In the room shadowing Elway, as Miller remembered, was former NFL Pro Bowler and Broncos safety John Lynch. Miller noticed, then. And he noticed, six years later, when Lynch was hired as the San Francisco 49ers’ general manager .

“As I played throughout my career, and I started to think about things I wanted to do and how to stay attached to football without playing — those core memories just kinda chose me,” Miller said.

Quietly, in 2023, Miller — going into his second year with the Buffalo Bills ā€” returned to the NFL combine to begin rubbing elbows with some of the league’s decision-makers. He told Bills general manager Brandon Beane of his future ambitions, and Beane “stoked that flame,” Miller said. For three straight years, Miller has returned to the combine to continue relationship-building with NFL front offices.

Now, as the 37-year-old Miller can see the end nearing for his playing days, he’ll make it plain: he wants to become an NFL general manager.

And he’d like the path to lead him back to Denver, soon enough.

ā€œIā€™m not a contract guy,” Miller said, when asked where he sees himself climbing the ladder in a front office. “Iā€™m not going to sit in there and deal with contracts, and find numbers — Iā€™m not a numbers guy. When it comes to scouting, Iā€™m not going to sit there and watch film for 20 hours a day, either. I think my talent is just, people. Knowing people. The infrastructure of a team, knowing how to put together a schedule ā€“ just the daily grind of being a player in the National Football League. I know what it takes, and I know what it looks like to be a championship organization.ā€

, of course, that he wants to re-sign with the Broncos as an edge rusher this offseason, first and foremost. He is quick to point out that he finished with nine sacks for the Commanders in 2025, the most he’s tallied since the season Denver traded him in 2021. After a one-year deal with Washington expired, Miller said he’s had no communication with the Broncos during this free agency; he’s hopeful, he said, that general talks with organizations heat up post-NFL Draft.

“I know I can still play,” Miller said. “I know I at least got one more year in me. So Iā€™m just waiting to see whatever the universe gives me.ā€

The stars aren’t exactly pointing toward Denver. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are entrenched as Denver’s starting outside linebackers, and the Broncos are so loaded at edge rusher that they’re moving 2023 third-round pick Jonah Elliss to inside linebacker to open up more snaps for both him and 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson.

If the Broncos are interested in Miller or other veteran help, though, now is the time to strike. According to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, the compensatory free-agent window officially closed Monday at 2 p.m. This has major implications for Denver, as the Broncos stand to be gifted a 2027 mid-round pick after losing key defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to a massive contract with the Titans in March.

Denver was silent in the initial wave of free agency, with just one external signing: Bengals safety and special-teams player Tycen Anderson. This was strategic, not merely about valuing roster retention. Signing another big-money free agent during the compensatory period would’ve wiped out any pick awarded from Franklin-Myers’ signing.

“It does — I mean, it doesnā€™t dictate what weā€™re doing, but we obviously know it¶¶Ņõap there,” general manager George Paton said at league meetings in March, asked if preserving compensatory picks factored into Denver’s offseason decision-making.

“Next year, we should get the 4, and maybe a 7th,” Paton continued later, referencing the additional departure of safety P.J. Locke to Dallas. “That¶¶Ņõap what you want to get to. It took us a while to get here, where we can get compensatory picks. And you see other teams do it, and I like that weā€™re doing it.”

Now, though, the Broncos are free to throw a few million at remaining free agents, with no fear of losing the pick gained from Franklin-Myers. There’s still a wealth of talent left on the market, too: the most obvious fit is former Saints All-Pro Cam Jordan, who racked up 10.5 sacks in 2025 and has remained close with head coach Sean Payton from their New Orleans days. Denver native Calais Campbell could also be a target if he decides to play a 19th NFL season, still highly productive as an interior disruptor at the remarkable age of 39.

And Miller remains as a potential reunion candidate, too, before his eventual foray into the personnel world.

That journey may not be far off, though.

ā€œIā€™m confident in that — Iā€™ll be back in Denver, in some capacity,” Miller said. “If not a player, as a GM, or front-office.

“It’s just, I think it was the same way with Elway,” he continued, noting Elway’s player-to-executive path in Denver. “When you have that much love, and the energy is just so loving that — we just gotta figure it out. If it¶¶Ņõap not a player, it¶¶Ņõap a spot for me in Denver. We just gotta figure it out.

“And it¶¶Ņõap just a matter of time.ā€